Published: June 28, 2007 11:18 am         

Fine inducted into Coaches Hall of Fame

TUTTLE — Dennis Fine was inducted into the Oklahoma Girls Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday, June 1. The Board of Directors honors five coaches each year and the honor of induction is a difficult one. The Hall of Fame is housed at Lindsay, Oklahoma. Each member has a large plaque with the inductee's picture and brief history of their accomplishments. The induction banquet was held at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Dennis attended Southwestern State College in Weatherford, Oklahoma and graduated in 1959. He returned there in 1961 to teach and finish his Masters Degree in Mathematics.

Dennis started coaching girls basketball at Lone Wolf the fall of 1962. He coached there for six years. During this period he served as the Southwest Representative to the Oklahoma Girls Athletic Association, 1963-1968. While coaching at Lone Wolf, he had his first Basketball All Stater, Roberta Boelte. Dennis then coached girls basketball at Grandfield for two years. In the fall of 1971 Fine started coaching in Erick. While coaching there his team won the Class B Girls State Championship in 1977. That year he had two All Staters; Debbie Bruner and his daughter, Lynn Fine. Dennis then moved to Fairfax to coach girls basketball. While at Fairfax, Fine's teams made appearances in the State Tournament twice. Carrie Tucker was named an All Stater in 1980 while Dennis coached there. She went on to be an All American at the University of Central Oklahoma.

In 1983, Dennis moved to Tuttle to coach girls basketball. While at Tuttle, Rhonda Douglas was named an All Stater. Dennis coached at Tuttle until he retired in 1987. His long career fashioned a 400-124 record. Not only did Dennis coach basketball; he also coached football at several schools and was an outstanding girls track coach. He had many girls who qualified for the State Track Meet.

In early years, the coach's wife followed the bus, took care of the girls needs, decorated locker rooms, and washed uniforms, His wife, Mickey, was by his side every step of the way. Dennis and Mickey still live in Tuttle. They have two children; Mark of Cincinnati, Ohio and Lynn Goodale of Ponca City, Okla.